Method and apparatus for installing sheet building materials

ABSTRACT

A tool for guiding the fastening of building material to structural components is provided. The tool may include a longitudinal member, a lateral member and a positioning tab that, when properly positioned over the building material, provide stable guidance as to the proper placement of building material fasteners. The tool may include measurement markings and a level for added utility.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Disclosure

Aspects of the present invention relate to devices used in construction,and more particularly, tools and methods for guiding the attachment ofbuilding materials to structural components.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Many techniques and tools exist to facilitate the assembly of buildingmaterials into physical structures. A subset of these tools andtechniques are focused on affixing building materials to previouslyinstalled structural components using various fasteners. For example,hammers and screw drivers are used to affix plywood sheeting and drywallto studded construction framing using nails and screws. Conventionally,such installation is labor intensive and involves multiple stepsincluding measuring and/or marking the building material, aligning thebuilding material to the structural component, and affixing the buildingmaterial to the structural component using some attachment device. Someor all of these steps may be complicated due to the physical dimensionsand characteristics of the building material and structural components,as well as the requirements of local building codes.

Many different tools are used to perform these techniques. For example,an installer may use a t-square, ruler, and/or level to makemeasurements; a pencil, chalk or pen to mark the positions in thebuilding material targeted for fasteners; a t-square or level to alignthe building material to the structural component and a hammer and nailsand/or a drill, screwdriver and screws to affix the building material tothe structural component. Various technological improvements have beenmade in these tools, such as, for example, pneumatic nailers and screwguns. These technological improvements provide economic value byincreasing the productivity of the installer.

SUMMARY

The applicant has recognized that installers often forgo measurement andmarking and simply apply fasteners without guidance. Conventionally,marking the building material at targeted fastener locations often takesmore time than actually applying the fasteners. Thus, at least oneembodiment of the present invention may provide for a construction tooland process that increases the productivity of the installer of buildingmaterials. More specifically, at least one embodiment may increase theproductivity of the installer when fastening building materials tostructural components, such as, for example a housing frame

Still other aspects, embodiments, and advantages of these exemplaryaspects and embodiments, are discussed in detail below. Moreover, it isto be understood that both the foregoing information and the followingdetailed description are merely illustrative examples of various aspectsand embodiments, and are intended to provide an overview or frameworkfor understanding the nature and character of the claimed aspects andembodiments. The accompanying drawings are included to provideillustration and a further understanding of the various aspects andembodiments, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification. The drawings, together with the remainder of thespecification, serve to explain principles and operations of thedescribed and claimed aspects and embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical element that is illustratedin various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes ofclarity, not every element may be labeled in every drawing. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a fastener guidance tool in accordwith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a process for installing building materialsaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a prototype fastener guidance toolaccording to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a fastener guidance tool in accord with anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to some embodiments of the present invention, there may beprovided a fastener guidance tool that may direct the placement offasteners on and/or within building materials according to a definedpattern. The building materials that may be fastened using embodimentsof the present invention include sheetrock and plywood, although otherbuilding materials may be so fastened. The fastener guidance tool may beconstructed of any suitable material. A non-limiting list of suitablematerials may include aluminum, plastic, steel, copper, wood andmedium-density fiberboard, but other materials may be used.

It is to be appreciated that embodiments of the methods and apparatusesdiscussed herein are not limited in application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Themethods and apparatuses are capable of implementation in otherembodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in variousways. Examples of specific implementations are provided herein forillustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. Inparticular, acts, elements and features discussed in connection with anyone or more embodiments are not intended to be excluded from a similarrole in any other embodiments. Also, the phraseology and terminologyused herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regardedas limiting. The use herein of “including,” “comprising,” “having,”“containing,” “involving,” and variations thereof is meant to encompassthe items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items.

The fastener guidance tool may be configured, in general, into an offsetT shape design. FIG. 1 illustrates such a fastener guidance tool 9 inwhich a longitudinal member 7 may be coupled to a longitudinal member 13and to a lateral member 11 by a coupler 8. The lateral member 11 mayhave a lip 12 and may be coupled, in turn, to a positioning tab 6, alevel 4, a lateral member 10 and a stabilizing tab 5.

The longitudinal member 7 may include, as shown in FIG. 1, a front face20, a back face 21 and two opposed edges 22 and 23. The longitudinalmember 7 may be fabricated in various lengths, widths and depths or mayhave adjustable dimensions. For example, in one embodiment, thelongitudinal member 7 may have a uniform cross-section and may be fourfeet long by one and three-quarter inches wide by one-quarter inch deep.In another embodiment, to increase the strength of the longitudinalmember 7, the width may be two or more inches. The cross-section oflongitudinal member 7 may be shaped into various forms. For example, inone embodiment a cross-section of the longitudinal member 7 may have arectangular shape. In another embodiment, the cross-section of thelongitudinal member 7 may be shaped into a low profile C channel forenhanced stability and ridgidity. In yet another embodiment, the edge ofthe longitudinal member 7 may be marked as a ruler. The markings may bespaced according to any measurement system, including the imperialand/or metric systems. The markings may be formed in a material, forexample luminescent material or highly reflective material, that enablesan installer to see the markings in low light conditions, for example inlittle or no light.

The longitudinal member 7 may form a series of spaced apertures 101-107that may extend from the front face 20 through the back face 21. Each ofthe apertures may be sized to receive various attachment devicesincluding, for example, pneumatic nailers and/or screw guns, or may besized based on the width of structural components 200. In oneembodiment, for example, the apertures 101-107 may have a diameter ofone and one-half inches, which is the width of a common framing stud andprovides a safe, convenient and realistic guidance for the attachmentdevice. In other embodiments, the apertures 101-107 may have varyingsizes or may be individually or collectively adjustable in size. Instill more embodiments, the series of spaced apertures 101-107 may bedisposed at regular or irregular intervals or may be adjustablypositioned relative to one another. In one particular embodiment, thecenters of the apertures 102-106 are positioned eight inches apart,while the center of the apertures 101 and 107 are positioned less thaneight inches from the center of the adjacent apertures to accommodatecommon building material dimensions. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1, the series of spaced apertures 101-107 includes seven apertures,although according to the present invention any number of apertures maybe used in any given embodiment. Various configurations of aperturenumber, size and position enable an installer to optimally fastenbuilding materials of various sizes and compositions to previouslyinstalled structural components using various attachment devices.Moreover, these various configurations may enable an installer to moreeasily comply with local building codes and increase the structuralintegrity of the construction.

The longitudinal member 13 may be formed in any configuration suitableto enable an installer to physically manipulate the fastener guidancetool 9. In one embodiment, the longitudinal member 13 may be a centerfooted pull handle. In another embodiment, the longitudinal member 13may be adjustably coupled to the longitudinal member 7 by a couplerthat, when disengaged, may allow the longitudinal member 13 to berotated or otherwise moved relative to the longitudinal member 7, andthat, when engaged, prevents the longitudinal member 13 from rotating orotherwise moving thusly.

The lateral member 11 may include, as shown in FIG. 1, a front face 30,a back face 31 and two opposed edges 32 and 33. The lateral member 11maybe be fabricated in various lengths, widths and depths or may haveadjustable dimensions. For example, in one embodiment, the lateralmember 11 may have a uniform cross-section and may be sixteen incheslong by one inch wide by one-quarter inch deep. In another embodiment,the lateral member 11 may be sized to allow for measuring the distancebetween structural components. For example, in one embodiment, thelateral member 11 may have a length of fourteen and three-eights inchesto facilitate verification that adjacent 2×4 wall studs are sixteeninches apart on center.

The lateral member 11 may be shaped into various forms. In oneembodiment, the cross-section of lateral member 11 may be a simplerectangle. In another embodiment, the cross-section of lateral member 11may be shaped into an L shape with a lip 12 that extends away from theplane of longitudinal member 7. The lip 12 may allow the tool to sitpositively atop a sheet of building material. In still anotherembodiment, the cross-section of lateral member 11 may be shaped into aC channel. In yet another embodiment, the edge of the lateral member 11may be marked as a ruler. The markings may be spaced according to anymeasurement system, including the imperial and/or metric systems. Themarkings may be formed in a material, for example luminescent materialor highly reflective material, that enables an installer to see themarkings in low light conditions, for example in little or no light.

The coupler 8 may adjustably or non-adjustably couple the longitudinalmember 7 to the lateral member 11. In one embodiment, the coupler 8 mayinclude one or more rivets. In other embodiments, the coupler 8 mayinclude an axle or similar device to enable the longitudinal member 7 tomove rotationally with respect to the lateral member 11. In anotherembodiment, the coupler 8 may include a securing device that, whendisengaged, allows the longitudinal member 7 to slide longitudinallywith respect to lateral member 11, and that, when engaged, prevents suchlongitudinal movement. In still another embodiment, the coupler 8 mayinclude a securing device that, when disengaged, allows the lateralmember 11 to slide laterally with respect to the longitudinal member 7,and that, when engaged, prevents such lateral movement. In yet anotherembodiment, the coupler 8 may allow for the longitudinal member 7 to bedecoupled from the lateral member 11. Various angular and positionalconfigurations of the lateral member 11 and the longitudinal member 7may enable an installer to optimally fasten building materials tostructural components previous installed at any angle relative to thebuilding materials. Further, longitudinal member 7, when decoupled fromlateral member 11, may be used where obstructions such as rafters mayhinder usage of the tool in a coupled configuration.

The positioning tab 6 may be hinged to swing between extended andnon-extended positions. When in the extended position, positioning tab 6extends beyond the lip 12 of lateral member 11 to enable it to makecontact with objects that are located behind the building material 110,such as the structural components 200. These structural components 200may include, among other examples, common 2×4 framing studs. In oneembodiment, the positioning tab 6 may be positioned at an offset fromthe longitudinal axis of the longitudinal member 7 to align theapertures 101-107 with the structural components 200 to which thebuilding material 110 will be fastened. In another embodiment, thepositioning tab 6 may be adjustably coupled to lateral member 11 by asecuring device that, when disengaged, enables positioning tab 6 toslide laterally along lateral member 11, and that, when engaged,prevents such sliding. An installer may use this feature to alignlongitudinal member 7 with structural components of various dimensions.When in the non-extended position, positioning tab 6 may expose a hookor some other fastener, as shown by 302 in FIG. 3, to allow an installerto hang the fastener guidance tool 9 on some other object, such as thebuilding material 110, a ladder, etc.

The stabilizing tab 5 may extend below the lateral member 11 so thatwhen the lateral member 5 is resting flush atop the building material110, the stabilizing tab 5 extends below the upper edge 121 of thebuilding material 110 and abuts the face 120 of the building material110. Thereby the stabilizing tab 5 enables an installer to securelyposition the fastener guidance tool 6 by applying force normal to theplane of the building material 110.

The lateral member 10 may be formed in any configuration suitable toenable an installer to physically manipulate the fastener guidance tool9. In one embodiment, the lateral member 10 may be a center footed pullhandle. In another embodiment, the lateral member 10 may be adjustablycoupled to the lateral member 11 by a coupler that, when disengaged, mayallow the lateral member 10 to be rotated or otherwise moved relative tothe lateral member 11, and that, when engaged, prevents the lateralmember 10 from rotating or otherwise moving thusly.

The level 4 may be any level known to those of skill in the art and maybe adjustably coupled to the lateral member 11 by a coupler that, whendisengaged, allows the level 4 to rotate relative to lateral member 11,and that, when engaged, prevents the level 4 from rotating thusly. Inanother embodiment, the level 4 may be removably coupled to the lateralmember 11. Using this embodiment, an installer may remove the level 4from the fastener guidance tool 9 and use the level 4 in areas where theentire fastener guidance tool 9 cannot be used.

Embodiments may include other elements without departing from the scopeof the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, an attachmentbracket (not shown) may be coupled to the lower end of the longitudinalmember 7 to enable the tool to be used upside down. Such use could beneeded, for example, when a final course of plywood sheeting is to beaffixed to a roof with roof rafters already in place.

FIG. 2 depicts a process 200 for building material installation that mayemploy a fastener guidance tool. At block 202, process 200 begins. Atblock 204, an installer abuts building material to a structuralcomponent. The building material and the structural component may becomposed of any suitable material. In one embodiment the buildingmaterial may be, for example, sheet rock and the structural componentmay be a wooden 2×4 framing stud, while in another embodiment thebuilding material may be plywood sheets.

At block 206, the installer may align the fastener guidance tool withthe structural component. In one embodiment, the act of aligning mayinclude extending a positioning tab, or some other physical alignmentdevice, beyond the back of a lateral member element of the fastenerguidance tool. In another embodiment, the act of aligning may includeresting the fastener guidance tool atop the building material with thefastener guiding member resting against the building material on theside opposite the structural component. The installer may then slide thefastener guidance tool laterally until the positioning tab, or someother physical alignment device, comes in contact with the structuralcomponent behind the building material and causes the fastener guidancetool to stop its lateral movement. In this embodiment, when the fastenerguidance tool is so stopped, the fastener guidance tool will be alignedwith the structural member. In another embodiment, the act of aligningmay include adjusting the positions of the elements of the fastenerguidance tool. For instance, a lateral member element may be adjustedrelative to a longitudinal member element.

At block 208, the installer may fasten the building material to thestructural component as directed by the fastener guidance tool. In oneembodiment, the act of fastening may include inserting an attachmenttool through an opening in the fastener guidance tool and actuating theattachment tool. This act may be repeated several times to ensure thatthe building material is securely fastened to the structural component.The attachment tool may be any suitable attachment tool including apneumatic nailer and/or screw gun.

At block 210, process 200 ends. Process 200 may be repeated severaltimes during an overall construction project to, for example, finishingthe interior of a structure with drywall or finishing the exterior withplywood sheeting. The acts of process 200 may be performed sequentiallyon multiple pieces of building material without departing from the scopeof the present invention. In one exemplary embodiment, several pieces ofbuilding material may first be positioned near the structural componentsbefore fastening each using the fastener guidance tool.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications,and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings areby way of example only.

1. A tool for guiding the installation of a building material on to astructural component, the tool comprising: a first longitudinal memberhaving a front face and a back face, the front face having alongitudinal axis; a first lateral member having a front face and a backface, the first lateral member disposed across at least a portion of thefirst longitudinal member; and a positioning tab coupled to the firstlateral member, the positioning tab retractably extending through theplane of the back face of the first lateral member and offset from thelongitudinal axis of the front face of the first longitudinal member. 2.The tool according to claim 1, wherein the first lateral member issubstantially perpendicular to the first longitudinal member.
 3. Thetool according to claim 1, wherein the first lateral member and thefirst longitudinal member are arranged in an offset T shape.
 4. The toolaccording to claim 1, wherein the first lateral member is disposedacross at least a portion of a face of the first longitudinal member. 5.The tool according to claim 1, wherein the positioning tab comprises ahinge for retractably extending the positioning tab.
 6. The toolaccording to claim 1, wherein the positioning tab comprises a hook. 7.The tool according to claim 1, wherein the front face of the firstlongitudinal member bears measurement markings.
 8. The tool according toclaim 7, wherein the markings are formed in a material that enables aninstaller to see the markings in low light conditions.
 9. The toolaccording to claim 1, wherein the front face of the first lateral memberbears measurement markings.
 10. The tool according to claim 9, whereinthe markings are formed in a material that enables an installer to seethe marking in low light conditions.
 11. The tool according to claim 1,further comprising at least one second member configured and arranged toenable an installer to physically manipulate the tool.
 12. The toolaccording to claim 1, further comprising at least one leveling device.13. The tool according to claim 1, further comprising a stabilizing tab,the stabilizing tab coupled to the first lateral member and extendingbeyond the front face of the first lateral member in a plane parallel tothe plane of the first lateral member.
 14. The tool according to claim13, wherein the stabilizing tab has a width of about one and one-halfinches.
 15. The tool according to claim 1, wherein the first lateralmember is sized to enable verification of a distance between adjacentstructural components.
 16. The tool according to claim 15, wherein thefirst lateral member is sized to be approximately fourteen andthree-eights inches in length.
 17. The tool according to claim 1,wherein the tool is constructed from a material that is light in weight,rigid and durable.
 18. The tool according to claim 17, wherein thematerial is one from the group consisting of aluminum, plastic, steel,copper, wood, fiberglass, carbon-fiber and medium-density fiberboard.19. The tool according to claim 17, wherein the material is aluminum.20. The tool according to claim 1, further comprising a coupleradjustably coupling the first longitudinal member to the first lateralmember.
 21. The tool according to claim 20, wherein the coupler allowsthe first longitudinal member to be rotationally displaced relative tothe first lateral member.
 22. The tool according to claim 20, whereinthe coupler allows the first longitudinal member to be longitudinallydisplaced relative to the first lateral member.
 23. The tool accordingto claim 22, wherein the coupler allows the first longitudinal member tobe decoupled from the first lateral member.
 24. The tool according toclaim 1, wherein the first longitudinal member comprises at least oneaperture.
 25. The tool according to claim 24, wherein the at least oneaperture comprises a plurality of apertures, the plurality of aperturesdisposed at a non-uniform interval along the longitudinal axis of thefront face of the first longitudinal member.
 26. The tool according toclaim 24, wherein the at least one aperture comprises a plurality ofapertures, the plurality of apertures disposed at a uniform intervalalong the longitudinal axis of the front face of the first longitudinalmember.
 27. The tool according to claim 24, wherein the at least oneaperture is sized to receive an attachment device.
 28. A method forinstalling building materials comprising: positioning a buildingmaterial next to a structural component; placing a fastener guidancetool upon the building material; moving the fastener guidance toolrelative to the structural component until a portion of the fastenerguidance tool contacts the structural component; and fastening thebuilding material to the structural component using the fastenerguidance tool.
 29. The method according to claim 28, wherein fasteningthe building material comprises dispensing a fastener through anaperture in the fastener guidance tool using an attachment device.